thinking visual

This is an essay draft that I wrote about a year ago. My views on mathematics and language have shifted a bit but I'm posting this here anyway. Comments welcome! Most people today would probably agree that mathematics is useful. We live in a quantitative world, and math is becoming increasingly important in many professional domains, from business and finance to technology. Still, it is probably common to view mathematics mainly as a tool for solving practical problems. In fact, people who ...

A few days ago I was at the park with my parents and we started watching a group people playing softball. Even though I did not grow up in the US, I thought I knew the general rules of softball and baseball. But talking to my dad, I learned about the infield fly rule for the first time. (It's a rule that says that in certain circumstances the ball is automatically considered caught even though it is still in the air. The rule is meant to prevent the defense team from dropping the ball on purpos...

Intentional naiveté is my way of approaching new concepts and ideas. ''Naiveté'' means that I have a strong bias towards simplicity. It means that I'm not afraid to tackle hard questions and consider simple answers. ''Intentional'' means that I'm aware that simple answers are very likely to be wrong, and that my naiveté is mostly a learning tool. Being intentionally naive is often difficult because others might see it as being superficial. Some people believe that it is wrong to talk about ...

Why writing helps: Clarity. One of my favorite quotes by Bertrand Russell says: "Everything is vague to a degree you do not realize till you have tried to make it precise." Writing helps me realize that my thoughts are often vague and inconsistent and it encourages me to make some order. Generate new ideas. Writing often feels like I'm having a conversation with myself. This process leads me to new ideas and perspectives, similar to what happens when talking with others. Even though I won't le...

What is this? This is my public notebook! It is a space where I plan to post unpolished notes about things that interest me. Disclaimer: Views and opinions expressed in these notes are my own and do not necessarily reflect people, institutions, or organizations that I may be associated with in a professional or personal capacity. ...